Company Name
Meyer Foundation
Company City
Washington, DC
Company State
DC
Job Location
1120 G Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington DC, 20005 (and partially remote)
Company Information
The Meyer Foundation pursues and invests in solutions that build an equitable Greater Washington community in which economically disadvantaged people thrive. We envision a just, connected, and inclusive Greater Washington community in which systemic racism and its consequences no longer exist.
Meyer Foundation Values:
Racial Justice & Shared Humanity
We believe racial equity is a moral and justice imperative that benefits all humanity. We are committed to advancing racial equity in all our spheres of influence in the interest of building a just, connected, inclusive future in which everyone thrives.
Solidarity
We recognize solutions to racial injustice are built through the collective efforts of diverse people, perspectives, and sectors; and by shifting power and voice to our community members who have been most directly affected by racial injustice.
Regional Responsibility
We use our resources and relationships to create opportunities, build capacity, and contribute to the strength, resiliency, and equity of the Greater Washington region.
Stewardship
We manage the long-term financial well-being of the Foundation consistent with our beliefs, mission, and vision while acting boldly to achieve racial equity.
Job Description
The Meyer Foundation is working toward a vision of a just, connected, and inclusive Greater Washington community in which systemic racism and its consequences no longer exist. We support organizations that are building power to achieve a racially and economically just Greater Washington region.
We seek to hire a Director for Strategic Communications. Working with and reporting directly to the President and CEO, this position will develop and implement comprehensive communications and external affairs strategies that support and advance the Foundation’s mission and vision. The Director for Strategic Communications will direct all communications functions of the Foundation, managing the communications budget, projects, and contractors. They will support and advise Foundation leadership and staff on internal and external communication and serve as press contact. They will be responsible for maintaining the Foundation’s website and web presence across social media channels. The Director for Strategic Communications will draft speeches, media posts and other organizational statements, developing and maintaining communications tools for the Foundation.
The Director for Strategic Communications will be someone who has a deep understanding of and commitment to racial justice, with demonstrated experience leading communications strategy for a mission-driven organization. The ideal candidate will have a record of supporting leadership and collaborations with community partners. They will be a seasoned communications generalist with skills executing, as well and leading, teams to execute communications projects. They will have a proven record of using communication strategies to successfully influence target audiences and help shape and/or change opinions on urgent as well as more long-term issues of interest to the organization(s) they have represented.
Cultivating a staff team that embodies the diverse experiences of the Greater Washington region is essential to our mission and values. We strongly and sincerely encourage applications from people of color/of the global majority, immigrant, bilingual, and bicultural individuals; people with disabilities; members of LGBTQIA+ and gender non-conforming communities; and people with other diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Communications:
• Develop and implement a comprehensive communications and external affairs strategy, including defining short- and long-term goals and objectives related to the Foundation’s vision, mission, and the work of the Foundation’s partners;
• Develop and manage a communications budget; coordinate creative services for communications materials; hire and support contractors, including managing work plans, providing feedback, and leading meetings;
• Develop and implement strategic communications campaigns;
• Develop and execute communications plans for key events;
• Ensure cross-collaboration between communications and other departments and ensure that adequate support from communications is provided for priority projects and campaigns;
• Draft or coordinate drafting of regular blog posts and op-eds by staff and grantee partners;
• Coordinate opportunities for externally facing staff to receive coaching and training for public speaking, social media, and op-ed writing coaching and training;
• Compile data to analyze and report to staff on communications impact;
• Perform other duties as assigned.
Thought Leadership Support:
• Provide support to the leadership team and board;
• Draft scripts, speeches, social media posts/toolkits, and organizational statements for and in partnership with leadership to ensure consistency in messaging.
Public Relations/External Affairs:
• Serve as press contact and draft press materials, including media advisories, press releases, talking points, letters to the editor, and other communications priorities;
• Conduct regular media monitoring;
• Develop, update, and manage inventory of internal and external communications tools and platforms across organization.
Digital Communications:
• Maintain organization website and other digital properties, and monitor analytics;
• Draft, edit, and disseminate digital newsletter and email communications;
• Develop digital organizing strategies and monitor social media engagement and impact;
• Manage and maintain visual brand identity and usage guidelines.
Salary: $110,000 per year
Job Qualifications
Preferred Experiences & Qualifications:
• Demonstrated experience in a leadership role managing communications for an organization;
• Demonstrated expertise communicating with a racial and/or economic justice lens;
• Seasoned communications generalist with experience developing and leading strategic communications;
• Skilled communicator and people manager who can strategize, plan, and delegate effectively;
• Project and vendor/contractor management experience;
• Experience in communication strategy and planning for incidents and/or issues that potentially attract negative media attention;
• Experience in communicating with socio-economically and racially diverse audiences;
• Deep and demonstrated commitment to equity and social justice, and strong alignment with Meyer Foundation’s organizational values.
Personal Characteristics and Values:
• Committed to the Foundation’s mission and racial equity stance.
• Active and supportive participant in building and maintaining a collaborative and inclusive workplace culture.
• Proven ability to listen, discern challenges, and identify solutions.
• Partnership approach and ability to effectively work with different workstyles.
• Open-minded and committed to honest and candid conversations and self-reflection about race, racial justice, and equity.
• Enthusiasm for organizational change and patience during any change processes as part of the Foundation’s commitment to ongoing learning and adaptation.
Maintains Commitment to Values and Meyer Foundation’s Community Agreements:
• Apply a racial justice lens: Raise issues of racial equity. Constantly seek to understand disparities and learn why they exist. Examine issues and create solutions through a systems framework.
• Assume positive intent: Proceed with trust and seek to understand one another. Challenge perspectives, not each other.
• Call people in: Avoid calling out – instead, call in. When we call in, we respect where people are and invite them to continue learning.
• Create space for multiple truths and perspectives: Be diligent and patient with self and others. Be willing to step up and step back. Recognize and explore triggers.
• Disagreement can be generative: Understand we will not always agree and that it’s okay. Healthy discussion can generate new ideas when we’re willing to engage and hear differing perspectives.
• Honor different styles of communicating, learning, and processing: Understand that these happen in different ways for different people. Seek understanding if someone’s style differs from yours.
• Name and check assumptions: Use “I” statements and allow “we” to speak. Respectfully call in your peers when an assumption has been shared.
• Recognize power dynamics: Be aware of the existence of power dynamics and how they can be used both positively and negatively, formally and informally. Acknowledge your own privilege and how you use it.
• Seek to expand your growth edge: Look for new opportunities to learn. Be open to perspectives that challenge your own.
• Surface elephants and patterns: Support each other in raising uncomfortable conversations. Hold each other in kindness and rigor, while seeking ways to move forward.
• Thoughtful risk-taking: Call on deep courage and be willing to take calculated risks without fear of failure or being wrong.
How to Apply
To apply for the Director for Strategic Communications position, submit your application via Survey Monkey after reading the information below:
To complete the application, you will need to upload the following:
1. Your resume;
2. 1 to 2 writing samples such as an article, press release, op-ed, or blog post; and
3. One of the following:
a. A multimedia sample-this can be a link to a video, graphic, webpage/website, podcast or something similar, OR
b. A creative brief or sample of a brief strategic communications plan.
You will also need to respond to the following questions. Please do not include a cover letter.
1) How would you describe your experience communicating with a racial and/or economic justice lens on behalf of an organization?
2) Please describe your experience supporting thought leadership at an organization.
3) How would you describe your experience leveraging social media to support an organization’s mission and vision? What are some tactics you have used?
4) Please describe a time when you had to manage a crisis as a communications professional. How did you navigate and overcome the crisis?